1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to tire irons. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a tire iron for use, but not by way of limitation, on small tires such as trailer tires, lawnmower tires, or the like.
2. Background Art
There are several tire irons in the market for mounting and demounting tires, however, most of these tools are made for larger tires. Use of these tools on smaller tires, such as trailer tires, wheelbarrow tires or all terrain vehicle (ATV) tires are too big and bulky and tend to damage the bead on the tires.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,270 to Brunner discloses a tire tool with a first lip for engaging the tire bead and a second lip for engaging the rim for mounting and a stripping lip for guiding the tool around the rim and a simple head to strip the tire bead. This tool creates friction between the tool and the tire/rim combination and tends to damage the tire bead when used.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,436,134 and 4,527,607 to Gaither are complex tools for removal of large tires such as truck tires, which cannot be manually manipulated for insertion of a standard tire tool. This tool involves the use of rollers to strip the tire from the rim and are unsuitable for small tires.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,921 to Kusner discloses a single piece forged tire iron with a integral knob element. The tire tool has mounting and demounting ends that are standards in the industry.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,756 to Rainey teaches the use of mounting head lips for the tire bead and rim similar to those in Brunner.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,581 to Johnson discloses another tire iron with a groove or lip for mounting and demounting tires.
None of the aforementioned prior art tire tools however, discloses the unique tire iron with a ball and neck mounting and demounting head for use at several different angles from the plane of the rim and a means to keep the mounting head substantially perpendicular to the plane of the rim.